B before A

To me: this is one of the most exciting posts YTD. I want to thank Brenda and Frank, Steve and Eleanor, John and Diane and Diane for giving me the support and fuel to write this. We are going to look at the golf swing from the golf balls perspective. The golf ball wants to soar through the air. The golf ball wants to travel a mighty distance--high above the tree line so it can enjoy the panoramic view at 4 to 5 thousand RPS's (revolutions per second) . Why--because the GB Nation over the past two Centuries has gotten a bad rap. They are not the mean and nasty bunch that most people think they are. Actually, they are a proud dependable lot and they have a lot to say about the abuse they have been taking. I have gotten to know ODO (Golf Ball Nation Citizen) and I have found him, although at times unpredictable, to be exceedingly simple and yet remain very interesting at the same time. Odo told me, "They want to feel the clubhead moving downward with a lot of speed right through the clubs sweet-spot". They are a little demented at times but they know what they want. They know what will make them happy and the things that will give them the best chance for a fulfilling ride. I've even learned they are the most excited when they are allowed to do their favorite trick...To slightly over-shoot their landing zone and sneak up on their target from behind.

In this article I want you to marry three thoughts. I would like to thank Doc Abel from Ft. Pierce, FL for the first two thoughts which I heard in 1987 while playing golf for the IRCC Pioneers.

These three thoughts shall be joined together in GB Nation Matrimony:

1) "Good players seem to face the ball a long time."

2) "Good arm swing creates a shoulder turn"

3) "B before A"

To understand this third concept, lets break the golf swing into three basic parts:

A) The Backswing

B) The Downswing

C) The Follow-through

The golf ball only cares what the clubhead is saying at impact--all the rest is pomp and circumstance. So I got to thinking that maybe we learn the golf swing in the wrong order. Maybe we should learn B (the downswing) before A (the backswing). Maybe the only thing important about the backswing (A) is that it allows us to do the downswing (B).

Thus the Title of this Article is "B before A". I feel like most people make such a contrived backswing that they fall of the tracks. I feel that they are in such a challenging position that making a good efficient downswing is next to impossible. Remember, the golf ball doesn't care how pretty your backswing looks. Odo told me while out getting drunk their secret. They only care what the club is doing at the point of contact. This same night ODO and I were getting trashed and he told me how GB nation makes fun of people that try to manipulate the club right before impact causing all hell to break loose- he was in stitches over that one. He went on and on, story after story, finally coming to a point of clarity saying, "Don't we know that it's too late at that point for corrections?"

So now for the Marriage. In the video I demonstrate what feels to be a little backswing where I create a good angle (the function of a proper grip) and hopefully you will notice that I face the ball and the appearance of a shoulder turn is only that. (It is moreover just good arm swing) This is where the marriage of facing the ball and good arm swing creates a shoulder turn comes into play. I do this drill 5 times a day at least for 50 swings. What I am doing in this drill is training the feel of my body-hips-legs in a coordinated effort creating my downswing although I do it horizontally because it is easier. This is a skill you will develop and the goal of this video drill is to learn how to get real, consistent, coordinated power on the downswing. You want to feel that the body (torso,hips,legs) is initiating the turn through and the hands and arms are reacting to this. Our torso's and hips and legs are much more powerful than our arms in this rotary way. I want you to learn to trust this mechanism to deliver your strike. This is what GB Nation has observed and what they have shared with me. It's really a win/win for GB Nation as they have the opportunity to have a lot of fun while being proud of us and get the opportunity to shed their bad reputation.

The reason I call this the Lil' horizontal drill is because I want the backswing to feel little (Lil', small,short) so you can understand the concept of facing the ball on the backswing. If you accomplish this you will be able to feel true connected rotary power on the downswing which is the goal of this Post. Now lets go on to the second word-- horizontal. I want it to be horizontal so you can fully understand the power you are capable of generating. I also want you to feel like you are facing the ball for the backswing--this will keep you in position to create true coordinated power. The third word is drill meaning that you have to do this a lot and get involved with it and good at it.

If none of these words made any sense than just imitate what you see in the videos below and learn that you can create a ton of effortless power. It will be healthier for your body and you will decrease your probability of injuring yourself while increasing your efficiency.

Summary:

If you want to be powerful thru the ball than you have to be in the proper position to be powerful on the downswing. This needs to be your goal. Too many backswings fail to do this!

There is nothing Lateral going on here--notice the head stays centered and the angle of the left leg on the downswing into impact in all the videos. We are learning to have a simple armswing while facing the ball more and due to being in the proper position have the ability to clear through the ball. This feel has to be developed 1st.

Most of us will find this easy to do. If you watch exercise infomercials you can call this type of drill your Golf Zumba Dance. Do it at least 250x per day.

Later in this series we will look into translating this feel into a more vertical golf swing. Remember to keep it more horizontal to start. You guys will be great at this and will be surprised how much power you are capable of generating in your golf swing.

Brighter ball striking days are ahead--Odo Guarantees it!

Therefore...rather than learn a backswing, let's learn to create clubhead speed efficiently on our downswing and learn how to let our bodies and natural athleticism lead the way. BB4A

Fairways & Greens,

DC

PS..

If you are wondering at this point how to create good armswing I do have it labeled out in a 4-step drill in a previous blog post. --(see superfluous motion Post)